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Recruiting

Recruiting at the 476th is a perpetual process. As training capacity becomes available, we may accept new applications at any time. Notifications of recruiting windows may be announced via our public forum and Twitter handle, @476th_vFG. Designated 476th members will review applications and send invites for pre-acceptance interviews. The criteria used to decide who will be invited for interview include experience, overall attitude, and how we feel an applicant will fit in our group.

Ideal applicants are self motivated and enjoy constant learning. As a trainee, you will be required to read a fair amount of material to be successful here, and to seek out your fellow squadmates for answers, practice time, and clarity on any process or procedure which you’ve read about on your own from our standards and operating instructions. Knowledge is freely provided here, and our members enjoy helping each other, but information is not spoon fed. You must be willing to seek knowledge and practice to improve.

As a trainee, you are a probationary member, and may move at your own pace through the IQT/MQT tracks. However, an applicant’s activity level is taken into account as, while we only have a low "minimum" commitment, we want members who are active and not just names on a roster. The 476th vFighter Group is an organization that prefers quality over quantity, we would rather have 10 members who are enthusiastic, active, and dedicated to the 476th than 100 members who are not.

And finally, never forget that the skills need to become an expert virtual pilot can be taught, but the enthusiasm and dedication needed can not. As long as you can perform the basic minimum requirements stated below, and are eager to learn, you have the perfect foundation to develop into a proficient virtual pilot in the 476th.

Applicants must be able to accomplish the following before being accepted into the 476th vFG.

Safely perform an Instrument Approach/landing (TACAN for F/A-18C and TACAN/ILS for A-10C).

Deploy all weapons carried by the aircraft.

Safely perform in-flight refueling.

And lastly perform all of the above at night, and/or in poor weather.

** The above is to ensure that trainees begin with a basic level of knowledge that can/should be learned in singleplayer or otherwise, and allow 476th IPs to concentrate on teaching things unique to the 476th as well as more advanced material. While the 476th is about constant learning, if it is determined a member has applied and asserted he can perform the above basic procedures, but actually can not, he will be removed from the 476th vFG.

476th Recruiting Process

Submit an application using the link below. We review applications at the end of every month so it may be a few weeks before the next step. In the meantime, please introduce yourself on the forums and check out our public downloads section.
After we review the applications, we will send out a private message to applicants with an invite and password to join our Teamspeak server for a week to allow us to get to know you and you to get to know the members of the 476th. As a part of this open house for potential recruits, we will also host a flight night or two to answer any questions and further get to know you.
After this initial week, you will be invited to an interview and a quick observation flight where we can verify you can accomplish the minimum requirements
Assuming the interview and flight go well, you will be formally invited to join the 74th vTraining Squadron.

If for any reason you change your mind about joining the 476th, or real life circumstances mean you will be unable to fly on a regular basis, we ask that you cancel your application so you do not increase the waiting time for others. Any applicant that wishes to cancel their application before they are accepted by the 476th should contact a member of the 476th command staff via forum PM.

If accepted you will

Become a member of the 74th vTraining Squadron.

Gain access to the private sections of the 476th vFG forums.

Have full access to the 476th Discord.

Have access to the 476th vFG Dedicated DCS Servers.

Membership Requirements:

Minimum age 18.

Individuals may not also be members, active or otherwise, of any other organization which operates the simulators we support.

Must own a copy of DCS: NEVADA Test and Training Range Map

Full members must complete a minimum of 1 MP sortie each month in their combat coded airframe(s) with a fellow member of the Combat Coded Squadron.

Participate in one official event a minimum of 1 time every two months.

Combat Mission Ready (CMR) rated pilots plan/coordinate an official event; see assignment stickies in the 476th vFighter Group section of the forums.

Comply with all 476th vFG Operating Instructions (OIs)

Trainees will be expected to fly significantly more than the above minimums during the training process. Our training program is flexible to allow for a short break (less than 2 weeks) to accommodate real life events however trainees are expected to make weekly progress.

476th Flight Event Schedule
European timezone flight nights are held on Fridays at 1900GMT (1800GMT in Summer)
North American timezone flight nights are held on Thursdays and/or Saturdays at 2400GMT
Large scale combined group events (usually bi-monthy) are mostly held on Saturdays usually starting at 1900GMT

When training capacity is available, recruitment forms will show below.
You must be registered with our forums and have not disabled the pm system to have access.